Learning Touch Apps: Bob Books, FirstWords: Deluxe, and a Giveaway!

Reviews by Johnny Boo, age 5

Bob Books #1: Reading Magic
App developer: Learning Touch
Price: $1.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

Bob Books is great and it also is stupendous. My favorite part is when the pig digs in the mud. I would recommend this app to people who like Bob Books and to people who don't know how to read. I like Bob Books 100%.

LitLass's note: Johnny Boo has long been a fan of Bob Books. They were passed down to him from his big brother when he first started reading at 3. Two years later, and although he knows all of his first grade sight words, Johnny Boo recently insisted on buying Bob Books: Sight Words--First Grade. He still loves looking through the boxes and reading the books in order. That being said, he also loves Bob Books as an app, and even though he knows all of the words in the first set, he enjoys interacting with this app, especially since each page has four levels. Johnny Boo loves levels. I only wish he'd had this app as a toddler.

FirstWords: Deluxe
App developer: Learning Touch
Price: $.99 on 5/4/11; usually $4.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

FirstWords: Deluxe is an app about words. You have to spell words and sound them out. I like when you get to spell out words. My favorite words are the color words. I would recommend this to people who like words. I like this app infinity.

LitLass's note: FirstWords: Deluxe includes 174 words for animals, vehicles, colors, shapes, and at home. Children can play with letter hints turned on (see picture above) or off, as Johnny Boo usually does. Again, this would have been a great app to have a year or two ago while waiting for big brother to get out of martial arts or piano lessons, but Johnny Boo still loves dragging letters to spell out words. Words are as short as three letters or as long as eight.

And now for the giveaway.

To celebrate FirstWord's 1 millionth download, not only is app developer Learning Touch bringing down the price of all FirstWords apps (FirstWords: Deluxe, FirstWords: Animals, FirstWords: Vehicles, and more) to 99 cents for Wednesday, May 4, but they are also giving LitLad the opportunity to give away three promo codes for FirstWords Deluxe!

All you need to do is comment. I'll pick three random winners by the end of the day on May 4.

You can also like Learning Touch on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or search for the hash tag #FirstWordsParty for more chances to win a FirstWords promo code (a list of all FirstWords apps can be found on the Learning Touch website). Good luck!

Oh, and comment. Now. Before the fourth of May is over.

Giveaway: Happy Haul-idays From LitLad and Chronicle Books!

Chronicle Books is offering $500 worth of books to one blogger and one commenter. Just comment on this post and you'll have a chance to win the following books from Chronicle Books with us!

Here are our choices for beginning and independent readers (descriptions from Chronicle Books):

Let's Draw and Doodle Together: Blue Apple Books, Elise Gravel

Inside this clever and innovative activity book, each spread becomes a shared creative adventure. Draw airplanes or cars, birds or shapes, even each other! Great for long car or plane rides, rainy aft ... more

Faces, Faces Everywhere: Color and Draw Activity Book: Blue Apple Books, Yukiko Kido

Faces are everywhere in Yukiko Kido's universe. With 220 full-color stickers included, kids will enjoy stickering, creating kooky faces, and coloring—inside (and outside) the bold lines. more

Ants In Your Pants: Color-and-Draw and Read-and-Write Activity Book: Blue Apple Books, Yukiko Kido

Yukiko Kido's entertaining, engaging, all-in-one reading and coloring book offers a fresh and fun way to develop a child's creativity and literacy. By encouraging children to color, draw, sticker, and ... more

Monster Comics:Blue Apple Books, Mike Herrod

Drawing monsters is fiendishly fun in Mike Herrod's newest addition to his bestselling Comics to Go! series. The "invisible ink" pen and light reveal both the hidden images printed within the more

Comics to Go: Blue Apple Books, Mike Herrod

Mike Herrod's playful illustrations give the beginnings of many different stories, and it's up to the reader to complete them by adding just the right villain, musical instrument, ice cream cone. Once ... more

Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Children's Classics, J. Otto Seibold

It's Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Peep, Jack Be Nimble, Miss Muffet, Little Boy Blue, and more, like you've never seen them before! Renowned artist J. Otto Seibold re-nurseries and re-rhymes over the Mothe ... more

Bear in Underwear: Blue Apple Books, Todd H. Doodler

Best-selling pop artist Todd Goldman makes his Blue Apple Books debut with this zany story about a bear, a backpack filled with underwear, and a group of furry friends who cheer him on. Readers of all ... more

Around the World with Mouk, Marc Boutavant

Filled with vibrant illustrations, search-and-find challenges, and 46 reusable stickers, this oversized book is a spectacular play space for future world travelers. And Mouk is the perfect tour guide! ... more

Long Tail Kitty: Blue Apple Books, Lark Pien

Lark Pien's clever, precise, unique comics are favorites with graphic-novel fans, and Long Tail Kitty marks her debut in the children's-book world. Meet Long Tail Kitty and his friends and ne more

Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles, J. Patrick Lewis, Lynn Munsinger

Thirteen witty and wacky poems pose riddles that challenge readers to "Name That Book." With a glass slipper here and a spiderweb there, Lynn Munsinger's adorable illustrations lead young readers to t ... more

Big Rabbit's Bad Mood, Ramona Bădescu, Delphine Durand

Big Rabbit has a mood. A bad mood. A mood with attitude. A big, disgusting mood that won't leave him alone. What's a rabbit to do? He tries watching TV, but the bad mood is on every channel. more

I Know a Lot of Things, Paul and Ann Rand

This reissue of the childhood classic I Know a Lot of Things is a celebration of all the new and intriguing knowledge children delight in possessing. Written from the simplicity of a child's more

Flip-a-Word: Quack Shack: Blue Apple Books, Harriet Ziefert, Yukiko Kido

The Flip-a-Word series has won accolades from consumers, teachers, and librarians with its fun, innovative approach to word families. Now two more books join the series! Learning phonics is even more ... more

Flip-a-Word: Wet Pet: Blue Apple Books, Harriet Ziefert, Yukiko Kido

The Flip-a-Word series has won accolades from consumers, teachers, and librarians with its fun, innovative approach to word families. Now two more books join the series! Learning phonics is even more ... more

The World Almanac for Kids Puzzler Deck: Reading, Ages 7-9: Mind-Bending Brainteasers, Lynn Brunelle

The No. 1–selling kids' almanac becomes a fun educational tool in these portable decks tailored by age and subject. Seventy-five curriculum-based activities encourage children to develop their compreh ... more

The World Almanac for Kids Puzzler Deck: Geography & the 50 States, Ages 7-9: Mind-Bending Brain Teasers, Lynn Brunelle

The No. 1-selling kids' almanac becomes a fun educational tool in these portable decks tailored by age and subject. Seventy-five curriculum-based activities encourage children as young as 3 to develop ... more

Kangodile: A Mix-and-Match Menagerie, Janet Landay

What's a kangodile? It's a kangaroo-crocodile! Mix and match heads and tails to make a kangodile, a babodile (baboon-crocodile), a shurtle (shark-turtle), and many more with this playful accordion-sty ... more

All Mixed Up: A Mix-and-Match Book, Carin Berger

Once you start to play with this clever mix-and-match book, you won't be able to stop. By flipping the cut pages, readers can create more than 13,000 quirky characters, each accompanied by its own sil ... more

Fillmore and Geary Take Off!: The Adventures of a Robot Boy and a Boy Boy, Mark Shulman, Phillip Fickling

Fillmore and his robot pal Geary are best friends and expert inventors. So it's only natural that when they decide they need a dog, they work together to build one. But Sbot (short for Super Dog Robot ... more

Find a Face, Francois Robert, Jean Robert, Jane Gittings

If you look hard enough, you can find a face in the most unexpected places: on a light switch, a shoe, a cardboard box, or a map. Look around. They're everyplace! With its funny illustrations, colorfu ... more

Sumo Mouse, David Wisniewski

"Grrr!" growl the cats. "Eeek!" squeak the mice. So it goes in the battle between cat and mouse. But when feline crime hits Tokyo, an unlikely hero strikes back. He's not lean and mean. He's round and ... more

His Shoes Were Far Too Tight, Edward Lear, Daniel Pinkwater, Calef Brown

Renowned author Daniel Pinkwater and best-selling poet and artist Calef Brown team up to champion the ridiculous! These endlessly fascinating and imaginative poems are as fresh and delightful today as ... more

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Junior Edition Boxed Set, David Borgenicht, Justin Heimberg, Robin Epstein

Boxed set includes: • The Original Junior Edition • Extreme Junior Edition • Weird Junior Edition more

The Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Everest: You Decide How to Survive!, David Borgenicht, David Morton, Yancey Labat

An interactive adventure like no other! On this epic climb up Mount Everest, readers are part of the youngest team ever to climb the world's tallest peak. Only YOU can make the right choice about your ... more

Balloon Toons™: Adopt a Glurb!: Blue Apple Books, Elise Gravel

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons™ are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrati ... more

Balloon Toons™: Super Crazy Cat Dance: Blue Apple Books, Aron Nels Steinke

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons™ are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrati ... more

Balloon Toons™: Rick & Rack and the Great Outdoors: Blue Apple Books, Ethan Long

With simple text and cartoon artwork, Balloon Toons™ are the the perfect way to engage and encourage new readers. Award-winning and up-and-coming cartoonists lend their inimitable and illustrative tal ... more

Balloon Toons™: Doggie Dreams: Blue Apple Books, Mike Herrod  

Do dogs really dream? In Mike Herrod's hilarious Doggie Dreams, they do! And this pooch has dreams of grandeur: dining in a fancy restaurant, being a rock star, and becoming a brave knight. more

The World of Noodoll: Ricehead's Revenge: Blue Apple Books, YiYing Wang

Who is Noodoll? He's the number one singer, dancer, athlete, and star of Noodletown, where everyone and everything is made of noodles. But not far away lives Ricehead, the number one troublemaker of R ... more

L Is for Lollygag: Quirky Words for a Clever Tongue

A is for apple? B is for ball? Humbug! Forget about that hackneyed gobbledygook. In this lexicon of linguistic delights, word lovers of all ages will discover that A is for alle more

Children's Miscellany: Useless Information That's Essential to Know, Matthew Morgan, Samantha Barnes, Niki Catlow

Do you know . . . . . . how to milk a cow? . . . the symptoms of a venomous spider's bite? . . . where to find the fastest roller coasters? You won't find such an eclectic col more

 Children's Miscellany Too: More Useless Information That's Essential to Know

Do you know... ...how to hypnotize a chicken? ...why the sky is blue? ...which animals are most commonly named "Jaws"? ...how to make invisible ink? ...where to find the town more

Even More Children's Miscellany: Smart, silly, and strange information that's essential to know, Guy Macdonald, Nikki Catlow

Even more fascinating and bizarre facts to excite and entertain young readers! How to talk like a pirate . . . which snakes can eat a 6-foot crocodile . . . whose favorite food is caterpillar milk . . ... more

Mazescapes, Roxie Munro

On your mark, get set, GO! It's time for hours of fun with Roxie Munro's A-to-Z round-trip search-and-find. more

Circus: Over 50 flaps plus seek-and-find!, Roxie Munro

From the Astounding Agile Acrobats and the Elephant Ballet, to terrific trapeze stunts and high-wire acts at dizzying heights, there's always lots to see at the circus—and lots to do, too! more

Books to Check Out for Kids: A Journal, Imagineering Company, Grady McFerrin

Following up on the success of Books to Check Out, this version for youngsters offers space to track books they've read and want to read, plus provides mad-lib style book reviews, a time chart, 




And for me:

The Exquisite Book: 100 Artists Play a Collaborative Game, Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski, Matt Lamothe, Dave Eggers

In The Exquisite Book, one hundred indie artists play an ingenious version of the Exquisite Corpse drawing game. Each adorns a page with artwork—having seen only the page of the artist immedi more

52 Fun Family Games, Lynn Gordon, Karen Johnson

These 52 entertaining activities include a wide range of games that will amuse family members of all ages and interests. They're perfect for any family that finds itself stranded on a desert island, t ... more




Don't forget to comment for a chance to win these books. Winners will be announced December 13. And if you want to win just one book from Blue Apple/Chronicle Books, check out my other giveaway.

Flip-a-Word Books and a Giveaway

Johnny Boo's favorite books when he was learning to read were the Flip-a-Word books by Harriet Ziefert and Yukiko Kido. He couldn't get enough of them then, and he still enjoys reading them now, even though he's on to more-advanced books.

Each Flip-a-Word book focuses on three word families:

• Crab Cab (the ot family, the ab family, the it family)
• Pig Wig (the ig family, the ug family, the at family)
• Quack Shack (the ack family, the ick family, the ock family)
• Snake Cake (the ake family, the oat family, the ant family)
• Snow Bow (the eet family, the ate family, the ow family)
• Stop Pop (the op family, the un family, the an family)
• Wet Pet (the et family, the ed family, the am family)

Review by Johnny Boo, age 4

Flip-a-Word: Snake Cake
Author/illustrator: Harriet Ziefert/Yukiko Kido
Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Snake Cake is about a snake, a cake, a rake, a goat, a boat, a coat, an ant, a plant and a slant. My favorite part is when the goat is in a coat and the goat floats on a boat. I like this book because it's funny and recommended. I think the pictures are fantastic because they're nicely painted. I would recommend this book to kids who like fantastic and enormous* books.

*Editor's note: If by enormous he means "able to carry in one's medium-sized purse..."

Johnny Boo modeled his own mini flip-a-word book after Flip-a-Word: Pig Wig and turned a rug...:

...into a bug:


















Of course, he told me that these words are too easy for him now and requested that we make a book with harder words (he suggested "comet" and "vomit," but I don't think those will work).

And now, a giveaway! I have an extra hardcover copy of Flip-a-Word: Stop Pop to send to one of my readers.

Here's a little blurb from the publisher:

Turn the pages to see new words and pictures appear before your very eyes! 

Bold illustrations and die-cut pages add special kid appeal and guarantee success for beginning readers. Learning how to read has never been so much fun!

To enter, just leave a comment telling me your favorite book for beginning readers. Also, follow and subscribe to my blog. Or not. I'll use random.org to pick the winner. Giveaway probably ends December 2, 2010. Residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

Dec. 3 Update: Giveaway is almost over. I've decided to let Johnny Boo pick from a hat, so I'll accept comments until that happens.

Dec. 5 Update: We have a winner, picked by a blindfolded Johnny Boo. Congrats to Danelle, whose comment was "My favorite first book to read is Good Night Moon. I also like Baby Baby Baby."